Everything Falls Into Place for Steinhauer

Sherri Steinhauer shot a seven-under-par 65, one stroke off her career best, to take a one-stroke lead over Penny Hammel after the first round of the Safeco Classic at Kent, Wash., on Thursday.

Rookie sensation Se Ri Pak of South Korea opened with a 67 in her bid for her fifth tournament title of the year.

Steinhauer, the women’s British Open champion, had seven birdies and no bogeys to come within a stroke of the 64 she shot in the 1990 tournament.

“It’s one of those days when things just go your way,” said Steinhauer, who hit all 18 greens in regulation. “I hit the rough on No. 10 and had a great lie. I got a good kick on No. 18.”

Pak, second on the LPGA money list, had five birdies in a bogey-free round.

“My back was a little stiff this morning,” Pak said. “I didn’t want to push myself today too much. I played nice and easy and didn’t have any bogeys. It was a good start.”

Sweden’s Annika Sorenstam, the money leader, was three back along with Pat Hurst. Sorenstam, who finished second behind Australia’s Karrie Webb, was five under after nine holes, but had two bogeys on the back nine. Webb, also the 1996 winner, shot a 71.

Steinhauer, named to the U.S. Solheim Cup team by team captain Judy Rankin, had four birdies in a row on the back nine.

She sank a 60-foot birdie putt from the front of the green on No. 16 to move to seven under. She parred the last two holes.

“I’m just having fun this week getting ready for next week,” Steinhauer said of the team competition against Europe next week at Dublin, Ohio.

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If Chris Smith can finish the season the way he finished the first round of the Bell Canadian Open at Oakville, Ontario, he won’t have to worry about keeping his PGA Tour card.

Playing his best golf after his worst shots, Smith closed with three birdies and an eagle for a six-under-par 66, giving him his best start of the year and a two-stroke lead.

Tim Herron, trying to win a tournament for the third consecutive year, bogeyed the last hole and dropped into the group of six players at four-under 68 that included Billy Andrade, Scott Verplank and Dudley Hart.

“When I got in trouble, I was able to come back and do something good,” said Smith, who took only 25 putts on greens that featured Sunday-type pin positions. “The course wasn’t giving anything up today.”

Smith shot a 66 with iron play that set up four birdies inside 15 feet. He took the lead with a 341-yard drive that left him only a nine-iron to the par-five 18th hole, which he hit to within nine feet for the eagle.

Having missed 13 cuts in 25 events, Smith is 132nd on the money list and needs a strong finish to avoid going to qualifying school, where he has never played well enough to earn his card.

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Casey Martin, the first player to use a cart at the U.S. Open and on the PGA Tour, reached another benchmark--his first professional hole in one during the first round of the Nike Tour’s Tri-Cities Open at Richland, Wash.

Martin aced the 172-yard 16th hole with a seven-iron. He finished with a five-under-par 67. He is tied for second with Deane Pappas and Garrett Willis, one stroke behind Brian Bateman.

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Darren Clarke of Northern Ireland fired a five-under-par 67 to take the first-round lead in the British Masters at Coventry, England.

Clarke is hoping to use this tournament to overtake Lee Westwood as the top money-winner on the European PGA Tour. After a round that included six birdies, he had a one-stroke lead on Switzerland’s Paola Quirici.

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Bruce Zabriski of Rye, N.Y., and Gene Fieger of Bryn Mawr, Pa., beat Englishmen Stephen Bennett and Andrew George, 1-up, as the United States took an 11-4 lead in the PGA Cup at Colorado Springs.

The U.S. club pros need only 1 1/2 points in today’s 10 singles matches to retain the Llandudno International Trophy in the biennial matches against Britain and Ireland.

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In Front

Results through Thursday’s play (Complete scores, C16):

LPGA SAFECO CLASSIC--Par 72

Sherri Steinhauer: 34-31--65 -7

Penny Hammel: 35-31--66 -6

Se Ri Pak: 35-32--67 -5

Annika Sorenstam : 31-37--68 -4

Pat Hurst: 35-33--68 -4

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PGA BELL CANADIAN OPEN--Par 72

Chris Smith: 34-32--66 -6

Billy Andrade: 31-37--68 -4

Dudley Hart: 33-35--68 -4

Mike Small: 34-34--68 -4

Tim Herron: 34-34--68 -4

Scott Verplank: 31-37--68 -4

Kelly Gibson: 33-35--68 -4